Waltz: EU security obligations a crucial component of Ukraine war deal

National security advisor Mike Waltz on Tuesday confirmed that the Trump administration was prioritizing a transition to a European-led security infrastructure for the continent as a component of plans to end the Ukraine War.

The conflict has persisted since February of 2022 and negotiations have thus far failed to yield fruit. President Donald Trump previously vowed to end the conflict within the first 24 hours, though that deadline has long since passed.

"He is going to continue [to] demand 5% of their GDP heading into a big NATO Summit this year," Waltz confirmed. "A key pillar of this is that Europe take the lead for Europe's security. Yeah, that'd be a historic moment. Already historic progress on the front but getting to that next phase will really be historic for the American economy."

"A couple of the key pillars are going to be the discussions around the territory, discussions around making sure that this doesn't happen again," Waltz added. "President Trump, in his second term, is determined to end the killing, to stop the fighting... That's one piece."

"And then the other piece is Europe has to step up for its own security needs. The United States has obligations all over the world, but most importantly, has obligations to its fellow Americans," he went on. "And I could tell you, when President Trump was in his first term, literally a little more than half a dozen countries were meeting their 2% bare minimum [defense spending target]. That doubled under his first term."